Tariq al Zubi
Character Description Name: 'Tariq al Zubi '''Species: '''Human '''Gender: '''Male '''Age: '''43 'Appearance Height: 5' 11'' Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Dark brown 'Strengths and Weaknesses' Skills: 'Tariq can speak Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Classical Latin and also, perhaps more importantly, has a limited grasp of written Ragon. He is also an adept mechanic and a fast runner. '''Weaknesses: '''Tariq isn't a fighter and years of having been looked after by trained soldiers hasn't given him much incentive to learn these skills. 'Personality Calm and driven, Tariq is not someone who panics under fire despite not being someone with any particular combat skills. A compassionate man, once committed to a task, Tariq rarely wavers from it, dedicating himself to it's completion. Tariq also has a strong bond with Rebecca Cohen, who he treats as a daughter. While he is usually calm, sensible and compassionate, all of this can go out the window if he feels that Rebecca is in danger. 'Background' 'What he did before the War: ' Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Jordan '''What he does now: '''Trying to save the world '''Backstory: '''Born into an impoverished 'Latin Rite' Christian family in Amman, Tariq was never expected to achieve much beyond growing up to take over his father's grocery store. However, from an early age, it became apparent that Tariq had an unusual gift for languages and, more importantly, the will to fully apply himself to his studies. It was not an easy road, but by his early thirties, Tariq had managed to gain the title of 'Associate Professor of Linguistics' at the University of Jordan, in his home town of Amman, much to the delight of his parents. Some of his studies were spent abroad at Durham University where Tariq picked up a 'home counties' accent while speaking English. During this period he married and his wife, Mina, had three children. Tariq bought a house in a fashionable part of town. Everything appeared to be looking up for the growing al Zubi family. Until the Ragons arrived. During the first days of the Ragon War, Tariq, along with numerous other Linguistics and Crytology experts, was asked to look into the captured logs of a Ragon scout vessel in the hopes that translating it would give the forces defending earth an advantage. When it became rapidly obvious that the war could not be won, the efforts to understand the Ragon language began to focus around information that might allow the forces of earth to locate the wormhole to the Andromeda galaxy and potentially use the theoretical 'Temporal Slingshot' to go back in time to stop the invasion before it began. Before that could happen, Amman was hit. Tariq's wife and children were all taken though he managed to survive, hiding in the basement of the University before fleeing to a cave complex in the hills. While Tariq grieved for his family, the event only served to motivate him to work harder, ceaselessly chasing the seemingly impossible task of translating the Ragon logs. Across the region, other cities were hit, though a few people held out hope that the translation of the logs might allow earth to strike back and a steady trickle made their way to the complex near Amman. Tariq, still grieving for his family, met a young Israeli conscript, Rebecca Cohen, who arrived at the base escorting an Israeli cryptographer. She was young, frightened and reminded him a lot of how he'd have liked his daughter to turn out. Gradually, a bond began to form between them and Tariq nicknamed her 'Windflower' after the red anemones that bloomed on the hillsides each spring. Four years after the invasion, a breakthrough was made, and while the logs were not translated in their entirity, the team managed to plot the location of the wormhole. Somewhat problematically, the only completed 'Temporal Slingshot' was in Denver, Colorado. Realising they might be the last chance for humanity, the team of academics and soldiers who had made the caves near Amman their home, packed up and set off for Colorado. After a long, dangerous trek, of which Tariq is the only surviving academic, the team managed to find a submarine in Mersin, Turkey, which they used to cross the Atlantic to New York. Unfortunately, within a day of disembarking, the team was ambushed by Ragon hunters. Tariq and Rebecca were the sole survivors. Adventures Since Meeting the New York Survivors ... Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Endless Knot Characters Category:Alive Category:Endless Knot